When shippers think about transportation costs, diesel fuel is often reduced to a single line item: the fuel surcharge.
But behind that surcharge is a much bigger story — one that quietly influences the price of nearly everything we touch, eat, or
Continue ReadingPosted in Bulk Transportation, Freight Industry Issues
In 2025, shippers turned to the Bulk Connection blog for practical education around bulk freight fundamentals and industry compliance. The most-read articles of the year focused on helping both experienced and newer shippers better understand equipment,
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Every January, many chemical and food-grade shippers kick off the year by issuing transportation RFQs (requests for quotation). The goal: lock in reliable carriers at competitive rates for the next 12 months.
Continue ReadingPosted in Bulk Transportation, Freight Industry Issues, chemical tranportation
In the fast-evolving landscape of chemical logistics, artificial intelligence (AI) promises remarkable advances, particularly in data management, forecasting, and route optimization. However, despite AI's growing capabilities, the human element remains
Continue ReadingPosted in Bulk Transportation, Freight Industry Issues, chemical tranportation
Rail service disruptions in North America are typically caused by weather-related events like hurricanes, flooding, and snowstorms that can wreak havoc on rail lines. With such events happening regularly across North America, it’s not a matter of ‘if’
Continue ReadingPosted in Bulk Transportation, Freight Industry Issues, chemical tranportation
As we close out the second quarter of 2024, the bulk freight transportation industry has seen a steady continuation of trends established in the first quarter. Both liquid and dry bulk trucking volumes have remained consistent, providing a stable
Continue ReadingPosted in Bulk Transportation, Freight Industry Issues, chemical tranportation
The first quarter of 2024 has been marked by steady freight activity across North America, and bulk trucking capacity has remained stable for both liquid and dry bulk freight.
Continue ReadingPosted in Bulk Transportation, Freight Industry Issues, chemical tranportation
We’re reaching the end of Q4 2023 and heading into an exciting new 2024. It hasn’t been a terribly exciting time in the world of bulk trucking for much of 2023 – but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. Given all the unwanted excitement in recent years, a
Continue ReadingPosted in Freight Brokerage, Freight Industry Issues, chemical tranportation, food-grade bulk transport
In a recent article, FreightWaves CEO Craig Fuller, gives a powerful summary of the current popularity of freight brokers in the US supply chain, along with a concise history of how freight brokers have arrived at this point. It’s a fascinating article
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Heading into the home stretch of 2023, conditions in the bulk trucking industry remain lukewarm: not bad, not great for both shippers and carriers. Capacity is fairly stable, but costs aren’t budging all that much. In this article, we’ll break down what
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